


[.download_play]

by devilishMendicant



Category: Doki Doki Literature Club! (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/F, Past Sexual Assault, as backstory and somewhat referenced in the fic proper, not exactly the happiest story of them all, other characters mentioned though not integral
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 06:29:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15382710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/devilishMendicant/pseuds/devilishMendicant
Summary: come get yall oc dlc character bonding w deleted character over getting treated shitty-like by a shoddy game engine and a jackass player---You'll have to read the linked supplementary material to understand what's going on, I won't lie. Worthwhile for an afternoon's entertainment! Recommended by at least five Internet strangers you've never met! Contains an original club character AND an original mom character! Do it for the mom. Do it for Kaede Yoshida the best mom ever and her suffering child Aiki.





	1. hello world

**Author's Note:**

> You're going to want to read this explanation of the overarching plotline. There is basically no way around it. I apologize profusely but this is the way the cookie and the world crumbles. 
> 
> http://nyanderecchan.tumblr.com/post/168872223299/so-about-that-ddlc-oc-huh
> 
> ^^^ That is the reason this story is tagged for sexual assault right there so also keep that in mind if that would be not fun for you to read about. 
> 
> anyway this fic is set directly from aiki finding out about monika to aiki and monika returning to school, i think in the original concept there was only a couple days between it all bc.. video game but here it implies that it's like a month in between! just like a real video game, conflicting date canons and no clear answer. its the bite of 83/7 all over again 
> 
> chapter-specific summary: aiki cries in a school bathroom and makes friends with a ghost

* * *

 

_... hello? _   
  
A voice - quiet, a little hesitant, a little... concerned. This comes as a surprise to Aiki, sniffling and shuddering in the restroom with her legs tucked up against her chest, perched on the seat of the toilet, stall locked. Nobody  _ ever _ comes in this restroom, which she knows very well from all the times that she has been  _ disappointing _ or all the times her classmates called her stories  _ childish, _ all the times she's been sitting in this exact space, crying tears of fragile heart rather than tears of    
  
~~ dont come near me dont come near me dont come near me its not for you its not for you its not for you go AWAY ~~   
  
fear.

Aiki swallows another sob when she hears the voice, because nobody  _ ever _ comes to this restroom but especially not after school - Aiki couldn't bear to cry in front of anyone but herself, and so she seizes her cries and clutches them deep in her throat, breath held by fingers digging white-knuckled into her slacks.   
  
There aren't any footsteps.   
  
_ Oh-- did I scare you? Oh, gosh, I'm sorry. _   
  
There aren't any footsteps, and there isn't any echo on the tile. There's no telltale creak of the heavy restroom door and there is only the noise of Aiki's strained breath.   
  
There's nobody there.   
  
_ Hey, _   
  
There  _ is _ someone there.   
  
There is  _ something _ in the corner of Aiki's vision. Something tall, something flickering like a midday shadow and something re _ aching for-- _   
  
_ H-Hey, calm down, okay? Please, I'm, _   
  
It's to her credit that she doesn't fall off her seat in fear, really - though she looks close, teetering vaguely on the edge with her whole body seized, tense, utterly taut in fear and remembered agony and  _ preparation _ and there's a feather-light touch on her shoulder, gentle like a lovebird, and when she cracks one eyelid to look there isn't anything there at all.

_ Ssh, shh. I'm not here to hurt you. I'm not. _   
  
Aiki wants to cry again, but she can't bear to cry in front of anybody but herself - so she doesn't.   
  
_ It's-- it's okay, you're not crazy. Okay? Just... relax, for a second. Just a second. _   
  
"You're a ghost," Aiki mumbles, face pressed back to her knees - speaking to no somebody didn't need no eye contact, she reasons.   
  
_ Not... exactly. But kind of, I guess. It's, super complicated. Ahaha... _   
  
The tone is girlish, the laugh self-conscious.   
  
Aiki's shoulders fall an imperceptible amount.   
  
"I want the red paper," she says, voice still somewhat thick from crying.   
  
_ Ah... I'm not that kind of spirit, you know? Jeez, have you rehearsed that answer? _   
  
"If you don't pick one, you get dragged into the spirit world," Aiki explains, picking at a spot near her knee, and the no somebody near her giggles, moves her not hand to fiddle slightly with Aiki's ribbon.    
  
She lets her.   
  
_ So you came prepared. Well, that's pretty smart. I'm still not that kind of kinda-ghost, though. Sorry. _   
  
Aiki lifts her head the smallest bit, turns her gaze to shadows, shifting and turning in a way that almost looks like dancing.   
  
"So what kind of kinda-ghost are you, then?" She asks, looking closely (as she does) to the tiny details - edges, soft edges, static tinged in green.    
  
_ Mmm... let's call it... the guardian kind of kinda-ghost. _

The shadow girl makes a motion as though she is tapping a pen to her lips, the smallest shower of static sparks falling as a not pen does not make contact with her face, which isn't there, and doesn't make the slightest sly smile.  
  
 _Something bad happened to you, didn't it, Aiki?_  
  
She stares into shadows, shifting and flickering.  
  
 _Something terrible. Something you don't want to happen ever again._  
  
"Yes," she whispers, drawing her knees closer together.  
  
 _And nobody at all is listening... Nobody wants to listen, do they?_  
  
"No," shakes her head, heart aching.   
  
**_I'm_** _listening. That's what I'm here for. Listening... giving advice._   
  
The shadow's not voice lowers a little, confidential - drops down to one knee like a knight would, bowing a head that doesn't exist closer to Aiki.  
  
 _Go on, Aiki. What did he do?_  
  
"H-He hurt me," come the words from her lips before she remembers thinking them, "H-He-- I d-didn't want t-to, he-- I s-said, I said, n- _no,"_ bites her lip. "I s-said n-no."  
  
 _And he didn't listen._  
  
Aiki shakes her head, breath shaking, and the gentle not-hand reaches her own and touches, lightly - not grabbing. Not _taking._   
  
Aiki doesn't pull away.

_And you're afraid he'll keep taking things that don't belong to him._  
  
"Y-Yes,"   
  
_You're afraid for Natsuki._  
  
 ~~Very.~~  
  
 _You're afraid for Yuri._  
  
 ~~Very.~~  
  
 _You're afraid for Sayori._  
  
 ~~Afraid.~~  
  
 _Ssh, sssh,_  
  
Murmurs the shadow, and Aiki doesn't realize tears are rolling down her face again until not a thumb brushes one away from her cheek.  
  
Aiki leans into a hand that isn't there, which hesitates for a brief moment before staying where it was.  
  
 _Sssh. It's okay, Aiki. You've done a very good thing by telling me._  
  
"A good thing," she mumbles, and nods slightly when she sees the shadow has.  
  
 _Yes. A very good thing. You remember? I'm here for listening to all the things you have to say._   
  
"U-Uh-huh," Aiki sniffles, releasing a shuddering sigh when she feels not-circles rubbing gently into her cheek.  
  
 _That's right. I'm here for listening... and I'm here for giving advice._  
  
Aiki looks up into shifting shadows, static smile, a glow of green.  
  
 _You like to write, don't you, Aiki?_

"... yeah."   
  
_ Would you like to learn how to write something... special? _   
  
Aiki tilts her head into a hand made of nothing, catching her more assuredly than an absence of light had any right to.   
  
_ There  _ **_is_ ** _ a saying, you know. That the pen is mightier than the sword. _   
  
Aiki watches, gaze consumed by the girl who was not standing before her.   
  
_ And we might not have a sword, but I think a pen would do quite favorably. _   
  
"What kind of something?" She asks.   
  
_ What kind of something do you want it to do, Aiki? _   
  
"I..."   
  
There is hesitance for only a moment, before the words come out on a cord pulled from her heart, through her lips, tugged softly into the shadow's waiting hand.    
  
"I want him to go away."   
  
_ Mm? _   
  
"I want him to disappear," she says, almost hoarse, "I don't want to see him or hear him, don't want him to touch me or Natsuki or Yuri or Sayori ever again, don't. I don't want, don't want him to--  **exist."**   
  
The word comes out darker than she ever would have thought it, but the shadow smiles in green and Aiki's is lopsided, finding its way onto her face as though she has done something right.   
  
_ You want him to disappear? _   
  
Cajoling.   
  
"Yes."   
  
_ Gone? Locked up, locked away? _   
  
"Yes," Aiki nods, feels the shadow's hand trace the side of her head and feels, for the first time since she  _ joined _ this club, that she's done something  _ perfectly _ right.   
  
_ Good, _ says the shadow, low and approving -  _ Because that's something we can  _ **_certainly_ ** _ do. _   
  
~~ Aiki is mesmerized, utterly, when she nods again - up and down -  _ yes. _ ~~


	2. silent night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> chapter-specific summary: aiki starts feeling gay about a ghost (or maybe an angel??)

* * *

 

She's breathing.   
  
Aiki notices this, late at night - feeling less shaky than she had the past few days, face and nose nuzzled firmly against one of her favorite blankets, heavy curtains drawn over the windows.   
  
A girl made of shadows not-laying on top of the comforter, on the other half of her bed.   
  
( _ Would... it make you less scared? _ )   
  
As wisely as the shadow liked to not-speak, when she wasn't showing Aiki how to write things that made her skull ache when she looked at them ~~but the smile that wasn't on her non-face was so~~ ~~_ proud _ ~~ , her voice that wasn't there sounded much softer when she saw Aiki trembling at the edge of her bed, dragging her treasures-chest against her closet door. For a voice that didn't exist, it sounded... worried.   
  
Aiki couldn't possibly resist  _ worried, _ not after two weeks that felt like two months where nobody would pay her notice, not after screaming for help and getting nothing in return.   
  
This is how Aiki came to be tucked in bed, staring closely at a girl who wasn't there, body laid like a lion - guarding idly, hands crossed, head rested on upper arm - between Aiki and her damnable un-lockable door. Looking towards her (if not for the dozing), breathing softly. Strange, for a girl who isn't there. If Aiki's eyes didn't naturally slip from focus, drowsy, coaxing the soft green haze around the shadow into visibility, she might have bled imperceptible into the darkness of the room.   
  
( _ Oh, I don't really need a blanket... hot and cold don't really, um, bother me like this, anymore! Ahaha... sorry, it's a little weird. But it's okay, you take it. You still need to be warm. _ )   
  
She's so tired.   
  
Of so many things.   
  
Aiki stares, blinking slowly, at the girl who isn't there.

(it's night time, in her bedroom.)   
  
(nothing bad has happened to her in her bedroom, before.)   
  
(nothing bad has happened to her when she talks to the not-here girl, before.)   
  
Aiki stares.   
  
Whispers, voice hurting from night-time air.   
  
"... I love you..."    
  
A tense pause.   
  
(nothing.)   
  
"... I love you... a lot..."   
  
Silence.   
  
(nothing.)   
  
"... I love you... m-more than... everything... here..."   
  
Bites her own lip.   
  
(nothing.)   
  
Aiki lets out a soundless whimper, and inches close enough to the shadow to hear her absence of voice, certainly asleep, cooing every so often from open mouth and deep breath.    
  
"... p-please... don't g-go..."   
  
Aiki hesitantly reaches fingers for the front of a uniform? pajamas? a t-shirt? clothes she couldn't focus on, lightly curling fingers into a girl who wasn't there, holding as if her near-silent pleas had ever borne fruit before.   
  
(She is so  _ shocked _ when not an arm circles around her back, light on her shoulders but heavy in its action, that she nearly bursts into tears then and there but she doesn't, she sniffles, buries her head closer, feels feather-pressure pull her there and Aiki, trembling, whispers the words she's never been able to say before like a chant, a prayer, a poem, a song.)   
  
(Before she falls into sleep, Aiki decides, finally, that the girl who doesn't exist is not a spirit - but an angel.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> almost named the chap 'ailent night' because my fingers slipped but too bad. no pun allowed


	3. there will be cake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> chapter-specific summary: fellas is it gay to ask a ghost on a date. mom is doing her best. cake is provided

* * *

 

"... dearest?"   
  
Round, dull gray eyes peer up through the slightest crack in the doorway. The woman swallows, shifts the small basket in her hands slightly, and smiles - a bit falsely.   
  
"Aiki, sweetheart. Why don't you come downstairs for dinner?"   
  
"... no," the girl mumbles, moving to pull the door shut again before her mother swiftly jams her slipper into the crack, keeps it open.    
  
"How come?"   
  
"... not hungry."   
  
"... well, if you say so," says Mom, a covering kind of cheer in her voice. "Later, then. We're having cake!"   
  
"... uh-huh..."   
  
"... sweetheart, you know... do you want to go see Dr. Takihara again?"   
  
"No!"   
  
Mom's foot is kicked out of the doorway, and the door slams with a wince from the woman outside of it.   
  
"Sweetie, I'm sorry. I just thought-- last time was so good for you--"   
  
_ "No!" _   
  
"... I'm sorry," says Mom, leaning slightly against the door. "Are you busy, Aiki?"   
  
_ "Yes." _   
  
"... with what?"   
  
"..."   
  
It takes a moment for the reply to come forth.   
  
"... girl talk."   
  
Mom is about to say something,   
  
And then doesn't.   
  
"Well, okay." She sighs, pulling back. "Come have some cake whenever you're ready, okay?"   
  
"... okay."   
  
"Thank you, Aiki."   
  
(She pauses for a moment, she admits. If she strains her ears, she can almost hear someone else's...)   
  
(But there hasn't been anyone else in Aiki's room for a month.)   
  
(She sighs, and heads back down the stairs.)

  
  
...

 

_ Aiki, it's, like... midnight! _   
  
"Yeah," Aiki whispers (kind of; though not like it mattered, since the bedrooms were upstairs anyway), opening the refrigerator with a practiced silence, "Sorry! I just thought, maybe..."   
  
_... well, I'm kind of stuck to you anyway, I guess, _ yawns the girl who isn't there - not-floating slightly behind Aiki, not-yawning into her non-hand.  _ It's okay. What are we doing? _   
  
"Cake!"   
  
Even her whispers are sweetly enthusiastic, as she turns around to present two pieces of layered chocolate cake, cooled on vaguely festive paper plates.   
  
Aiki  _ likes _ to eat at midnight, although she doesn't do it too often because, she says, Mom will get worried. Aiki likes to eat at midnight because when she eats at six, she's stuck staring forward, and pretending badly like she can't hear or feel nobody on her shoulder, humming lightly, and can't hold her hand - which she is fond of. She goes back upstairs more stressed and the next day is less hungry than ever.   
  
Aiki likes to eat at midnight, because she is the kind of girl who would hold your hand under the table while eating, and gently catch your foot with hers, and babble quietly about what you had been doing only a few minutes prior but still, somehow, excited about it anyway.   
  
Excited over marbles really says a lot about how exciting Aiki's life has been recently.   
  
The girl with a null name has learned that Aiki has a  _ lot _ of toys.

_... um, Aicchan, I can't pick up the fork, remember?_  
  
There are some issues that come with not existing that sometimes escape the notice of those that exist, despite her very best utterly desperate endearing efforts.   
  
"Oh, oh yeah! Sorry," she giggles, and fork has pierced cake and brought itself forward very quickly, almost too much to say--  
  
 _Er, isn't that_ ** _your_** _cake,_   
  
**And** fork, but the girl who isn't opens her not-mouth anyway, and Aiki's mom really does make some excellent cake.  
  
(She looks so, so _content_ taking a bite for herself with the same fork that the girl who did not exist couldn't bring herself to protest.)  
  
"I'm not very hungry," Aiki admits, "But I like eating with you, and otherwise Mom..."  
  
She trails off, but the girl who doesn't exist knows what would have come afterwards anyway.  
  
 _You don't want her to worry,_ is what she says with her voice that isn't, instead of 'you don't want her to take you to the doctor again'.  
  
"Yeah," hums Aiki, with a mouthful of cake for a moment. "She's nice."  
  
 _Yeah._  
  
"She made cake for you."  
  
 _... she did._  
  
(She _did,_ which was... very nice to do for Aiki.)  
  
"Uh-hm."   
  
There is a little quiet.  
  
"... do you wanna go outside?"  
  
 _It's midnight?_  
  
To be fair, the null girl is a little startled, and it's the only thing that comes to mind. Aiki hasn't gone outside willingly in a month. The null girl thought she was going to give it up entirely, to be honest, after seeing the shudders at the door and the windows, before sliding the curtains to where they'd been for weeks.  
  
"I mean, later. If it's not raining..."  
  
She seems lost in thought. The null girl lets her wander.  
  
"... would... you want to?"  
  
 _Where would we go?_ she asks, electing not to bring attention to the fact she cannot help but follow Aiki anyway.  
  
"Um," Aiki mumbles, "The park, maybe."

A pause.   
  
"... I, don't know anywhere else to go," she admits, blushing faintly in the dim, hazy glow from the girl who wasn't there. "Sorry."   
  
_ No, no. I was just asking, _ she says not-ly, idly dragging a non-finger across the tablecloth, watching tiny green sparks flash and fade.  _ It sounds nice, if it's not raining. _   
  
"Yeah," Aiki agrees, looking less bashful. "It is, there's a tire swing and a slide and galloping horses, and--"   
  
She is excited again, which is a comfortable feeling, and her hand's grip is tight and warm as always, like she was keeping a balloon from drifting away into space.   
  
"... and the carousel squeaks, but..."   
  
The cake is gone - on both counts, because the not-there-girl is cunning and Aiki hasn't eaten in two days and it was midnight enough that she didn't notice the quiet switch in plates, anyway - and it's dark, and it's midnight, and Aiki yawns.   
  
_ But it'll be fun, anyway, _ the girl who isn't says, tugging lightly at Aiki's hand, who stands drowsily.    
  
"Yeah," sighs, "Umm..."   
  
_ Going to put these away? _   
  
"Mom has to see," she insists, slowly and quietly moving towards the stairs again - the girl who doesn't exist hmms, and follows.    
  
_ Okay, Aiki. _

  
  
...

  
  
(It rains the next day, but it doesn't on the second - maybe the sky was intimidated into cooperating by Aiki's whimpers, or the null girl's rituals.)   
  
(There are one or two people who stare at the pale girl, dull eyes, unkempt and badly thin, running around pushing nobody on the swing set, playing with nobody on the carousel, yelling happily to nobody to run faster or she'll tag them.)   
  
(Aiki doesn't care.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> monika voice: os.modify ("weather.bin") bitch


	4. questions minus answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> chapter-specific summary: mom has questions, like eighty of them. aiki knows monika's name and finally shares this totally pertinent information. cake and ice cream might finally be reunited over many long words and undefined lengths of time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> disclaimer: im not a doctor and definitely not a psychiatrist, this isn't factual psychiatrist action. this is a fanfiction. please god don't take this as gospel

* * *

 

"Would you like to talk about your friend?"   
  
It's a bit of a last-ditch effort - which Dr. Takihara realizes, at least, crossing her legs the other way and tilting her head slightly.   
  
Aiki's eyes squeeze shut as she grips the fabric of her own sweatpants tight enough to color her knuckles white, face still turned away from the woman sitting across from her.   
  
"... well, you don't have to," she says. "Your mother told me you like them a lot, and I thought it might be nice to talk about something you liked."   
  
"..."   
  
Dr. Takihara resists the urge to sigh, and glances back down to her clipboard.   
  
"... her."   
  
"Eh?"   
  
_ "S-She's _ m... my,"   
  
Aiki is making tiny distressed gestures, but it is the first thing she's said in almost an hour and Dr. Takihara leans forward, open and interested.   
  
"Oh? I see. You like her a lot, yes?"   
  
Aiki hesitates, fingers curling and uncurling without rhythm.   
  
"... it's okay, Aiki," says Dr. Takihara, "Go ahead. I'd like to listen, if it's alright."   
  
"... y-yeah," Aiki says, slowly. "She's... t-the best..."   
  
"Hm?"   
  
"S-She's, really nice, and... good... um..."   
  
"What's her name, Aiki?"   
  


...

 

"... Monica?"   
  
"Well, Moni _ ka, _ according to what she wrote," says Dr. Takihara, sitting with Aiki's mother in her office - Aiki behind the door behind them, drawing quietly in the conference room. "She was very insistent about it. Do you know anybody who goes by that name? Family, friends... television characters?"   
  
"No," Aiki's mother admits, looking at the paper somewhat helplessly. "It... it sort of rings a bell, but I don't know why. It sounds quite foreign."   
  
"Mm. You know, I thought that too," says the doctor, tapping her finger lightly on the table. "It's a bit odd, but... well, surely it's the name of some character, or close to it. Something we've heard somewhere."   
  
"... mmhm."   
  
"The drawing is... interesting, I admit," Dr. Takihara ventures, seeing the other woman's expression. "I was rather surprised. It didn't seem to fit the other qualities Aiki had given her, certainly."   
  
"Other qualities?"   
  
"Mmhm. Not being able to leave her side, for example. Others, too - a nice singing voice, a power to protect doors-- Ms. Yoshida?"

"N-Nothing," the other woman stammers, clearing her throat as though she hadn't just choked on her own sudden breath, "Please, continue."   
  
"... well, if you say so." Nods Dr. Takihara. "As I was saying, the qualities Aiki gave her seem consistent with a... comforting, protective sort of figure, which matches the way she was interacting with it while we were speaking."   
  
"Holding her hand."   
  
"You've seen this behavior before."   
  
"When I can manage to coax her out of her room..."   
  
"Ah, I see."   
  
"Yes," says Ms. Yoshida, tracing a finger along the edge of the paper in front of her. "... so then, why..."   
  
"That's a question I have, myself," admits Dr. Takihara, leaning back in her seat for a moment. "I did ask Aiki why she appeared like that, which..."   
  
"... which?"   
  
"... well, she explained it to me. Very gently," the doctor coughs, to which Ms. Yoshida smiles.   
  
"Ah... she's a sweetheart like that."   
  
"... she is. She claims that her friend... do bear with me, was a part of the extracurricular club she attends."   
  
"The Literature Club?"   
  
"Er, yes. According to Aiki, this friend had... some sort of supernatural ability to affect and change the world around her, before she  _ 'did something bad, and decided to go away'. _ Which entails, apparently, removing all traces of her existence... which accounts for the feeling of the drawing. Someone who isn't there."   
  
"..."   
  
"It is  _ stunningly _ creative," says Dr. Takihara. "And interesting, that she decided this guardian would have hailed from a high-school club. How long has she been attending?"

"This school? Less than a year. We moved very recently..."   
  
"...  _ interesting. _ Presented with this situation in a vacuum, I would have assumed Aiki would look to her family-- no offense or accusations meant, Ms. Yoshida, I'm simply very surprised."   
  
"What? What do you mean by that?"   
  
"My current hypothesis is that Aiki has recently suffered an abrupt trauma, Ms. Yoshida. From your expression, I can guess that if this  _ is _ the case, it isn't from any event you're aware of."   
  
A shake of the head.   
  
"Mm. She seems utterly loathe to speak with me about anything that might have happened, also." Sighs Dr. Takihara, settling her head in her palm. "I'd hoped that opening with something nicer... well. That bridge will be crossed later. For now, all we can do is--"   
  
"Guess," says Ms. Yoshida.    
  
"Not entirely without guidelines. The... friend she's created is actually quite helpful in that regard. It would make sense that Aiki would assign qualities to it that reflect pieces of the event that spawned the need for it, yes?"   
  
"... I suppose."   
  
"In particular, that it can't leave her side, and that it can keep things away through one means or another. This seems to suggest that,  _ whatever _ happened, she was separated from somebody she trusted..."   
  
"... and couldn't defend herself," Aiki's mother whispers.   
  
"... yes. Further supported by her behavior at home, no? Locking herself inside, staying away from the windows, you said,"   
  
"... trapping her door..."   
  
"Ms. Yoshida?"   
  
"Nothing."   
  
"... mm. In any case, does she spend a lot of time in this literature club?"   
  
"She spent every day after school there, until she started refusing to go to school."   
  
"Then I'd start there. You  _ must _ ask if anyone there noticed something off on the day Aiki's unusual behavior started. There's... only so much I can do if Aiki is unwilling to talk about the event herself."   
  
"... I see." Says Ms. Yoshida, drawing in a breath. "I'll try."   
  
"Thank you. Now, scheduling..."

  
  
...

 

"Aiki, honey? It's time to go, okay?"   
  
Aiki startles slightly as the door to Dr. Takihara's office opens - her arms curl over the paper she was drawing on, eyes shifting to the ground.   
  
"C'mon, c'mon. You can bring your drawing, it's okay."   
  
"..."   
  
The girl stands slowly, a hand half-covering the paper no matter what angle she stood at. Dr. Takihara, naturally, is curious.   
  
"... may I see?"   
  
Aiki flinches, hesitates momentarily as her free hand curls... slowly, mimicking the motion of holding another's hand. She's silent - intently.   
  
A hint of a smile flickers across her face.   
  
"... okay..."    
  
She pulls her other hand away as the doctor picks up the paper, moving it to fidget at the hem of her shirt.   
  
"We'll go get ice cream, okay, Aiki? Thank you for coming to see Dr. Takihara with me."   
  
"Okay, Mom."   
  
(Aiki is watching Dr. Takihara's face, intently.)   
  
"... interesting." Says the doctor, smiling faintly. "What a nice choice of colors, Aiki. You're very talented."   
  
"... thank you," says Aiki, hand curling tighter into nothing. "Monika helped."   
  
"Ah, of course. You're both... very talented."   
  
Aiki seems more genuinely pleased, by that.    
  
As Ms. Yoshida leads her daughter out of the room, Dr. Takihara, for an instant,   
  
_ See? I told you, just the right amount of green. _   
  
Has an errant thought, staring at the chaotic paper in her hands so long that when she glances back up, she almost sees a flickered shadow against Aiki's back.   
  
Almost feels a sharp prickle in her fingertips.   
  


...

  
  
**Email received 4:30 PM.**   
**Email read 9:17 PM.**   
  
**_To:_ ** _ Yoshida, Kaede _   
**_From:_ ** _ Takihara, Minori _   
**_Subject:_ ** _ Aiki's Extracurriculars _   
  
_ Ask them about a boy. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kaede's doing her god damn best out here and monika can draw the necronomicon with crayola-grade washable markers what else is new


	5. long ride home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> chapter-specific summary: cake and ice cream are officially reunited. aiki is tired, which is a once in a lifetime miracle. kaede sees something concerning.

* * *

 

It's a long drive home, and it's raining.   
  
Not _really_ long - 45 minutes, maybe, but Ms. Yoshida knows that's long for Aiki and so she mentally earmarks the drive as "long" - and not _really_ raining, but misting, and the sky is gray and the sound of the tires on the pavement are appropriately damp and droning.   
  
Aiki does one of two things on long car rides. Either she's restless (an easy thing to remedy, with a bubble-poppy CD in the car and a mother long since made impervious to singing and bouncing and clapping and rhythm-stomping), or she's asleep, a truly rare occurrence that happens only when she's been _very_ tired out.   
  
Ms. Yoshida steals a glance through the slightly crooked rear-view mirror at her daughter, half-asleep in the back seat with her cheek against the car window, and sighs.   
  
Visits to the psychiatrist, she supposes, are very tiring.   
  
She deliberates, eyes scanning the road in front of her, about whether or not to try and rouse Aiki. She _was_ tired; but then again, she'd practically been sleeping all month. In fact, the only time she'd seen her daughter's eyes light up the way they did before _whatever_ happened on that particular day was when she was talking about...   
  
... her new friend. That was a solid way to put it, she decides - puts on her merge signal. Her new friend. Aiki's new... imaginary friend.

Grits her teeth. Chides herself. There isn't anything inherently _wrong_ with what Aiki's doing, Ms. Yoshida reminds herself, shoulders drawn high - it isn't hurting anybody, and if this is how she's coping with _whatever happened_ until she can tell us, then... then so be it, she thinks firmly. Fingers tighten over the steering wheel.   
  
(Even if Aiki was getting even more strange stares than usual.)   
  
(Even if her door felt like _fire_ to touch--)   
  
What _was_ that?   
  
She didn't dare bring it up - she wouldn't dare because, well. What do you say? How do you say it? You can't just say "actually, you know, funny story, my daughter's pretend guardian angel, you know, the one that doesn't actually exist, well, it turns out that somehow she actually did make Aiki's door untouchable--", you really _can't._ That's a one-way ticket to her _own_ special talks with Dr. Takihara. It was... a sudden, ill-timed attack of nerve pain.   
  
Or something.   
  
(Aiki's never been one to lie, even at six years old with her "un-seeing-able" best friend ever, Pitachi-chan.)   
  
Fingers drum the steering wheel.

She's always been too much the believer, really. Always been too caught up in fairy tales and spooky stories - a boon to a daughter who loved them, and a bit of a burden everywhere else. She's-- older now. She has to break that habit, has to stop stepping over sidewalk cracks, has to stop looking into mirrors and wondering if someday, her reflection would move on its own.  
  
They got ice cream. Ms. Yoshida promised, and she doesn't break her promises - however, she _did_ finish her ice cream before she started driving, as there are certain difficulties involved with holding an ice cream cone in one hand and trying to steer a car with the other. It's adult responsibility. It's adult wisdom. It's learning how to eat a cone of soft serve in four minutes without getting a brain freeze. Aiki isn't quite there yet (and even further behind, temporarily), and has been sitting in the back seat, dozing away, with a vanilla ice cream cone getting dangerously close to melting down her hand.   
  
(Aiki likes _chocolate_ ice cream, but she so vehemently insisted on vanilla that her mother hadn't the heart to argue.)   
  
So she's not surprised to see the ice cream somewhat unattended to, no. But she is somewhat worried about the state of it - if it melted too much further, it was likely to drip all over Aiki's hand, pant leg, the seat of the car, and that would be an exercise in frustration. Dairy products just aren't _fun_ to wash out of stationary fabrics.   
  
Ms. Yoshida sighs - deliberates - and glances back to the rear view mirror, mouth already opening to call Aiki back into wakefulness.   
  
She fixes her eyes on the silver glass to see -   
  
On the complete opposite side of Aiki, far and away from her drowsing face -   
  
_Thin air_ dig lightly into the soft ice cream, dragging a visible trail upwards through it.   
  
The displaced ice cream disappears with the shortest, most ethereal burst of a contented, girlish noise, and Ms. Yoshida's gaze snaps back onto the road in front of her.

"Aiki, sweetheart," she says, maybe a little louder than she needs to, "You have to finish your ice cream before it melts, baby."  
  
"Nn... mm'kay..."   
  
Ms. Yoshida doesn't glance back at the mirror for another three minutes.   
  
When she does, all she sees is Aiki taking tiny, sleepy kitten licks at the cone in her hand,   
  
Holding it too far to her left for it to be just for herself.   
  
_\- Kaede. No more of this. No more_ **_wondering,_ ** _no more flights of fancy! -_ _  
_   
"Because I love you," Aiki mumbles happily in response to nothing, to an empty back seat.   
  
When Ms. Yoshida sees a sudden soft dip, sees something gently push against, push in Aiki's cheek - sees an outline in vanilla left behind - she resolves to look at the _road,_ and just the _road,_ for all the rest of the long drive home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> who ya gonna call? actually don't bother calling she knows, she's en route and there's nothing you can do to stop her


	6. eye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> chapter-specific summary: 
> 
> (def. eye of the storm -  
> 1\. Lit. the area of calm in the center of a tornado, hurricane, or cyclone.  
> 2\. Fig. a temporary peaceful time amidst more trouble and strife yet to come.  
> Don't relax. This is the eye of the storm.)

* * *

 

"H-Hello, Aiki's mo, I, um, Ms. Yoshida!"  
  
There was absolutely no part of the proceeding string of events that _wasn't_ a surprise to everybody involved.   
  
"... why, hello, Sayori. Er... what brings you here?"   
  
Sayori _almost_ says 'spidey-senses', but gets the feeling that isn't exactly a proper answer.   
  
"Oh! Um, uh... I, I came to, to give Aiki ~~an~~ ~~d Mon~~   
  
"S-Some flowers! I thought, um... they might help cheer her up."   
  
Aiki's mom gives Sayori a very odd look.   
  
"Ah... well, that's very nice of you, dear, but I'm afraid Aiki isn't..."   
  
  **> > [ **os.edit_value("charisma") ["current_value"+2]  **]**   
  
"... alright, why don't you come in. No harm in saying hello, at least... Aiki?"   
  
Sayori follows Ms. Yoshida into the front hall quietly, glancing around curiously. The woman waits for a moment, still looking in the direction of the stairs - but after another few heavy seconds of silence, she sighs.   
  
"I'm... not even sure if she's awake, Sayori, but... if you want, you can go upstairs and knock on her door, okay? _Gently,"_   
  
"Y-Yes, ma'am!"   
  
"Thank you," Ms. Yoshida says. "... and please, don't be upset if she doesn't want to talk, alright? I mean, not that I think you'd..."   
  
"It's, um, it's okay! Don't worry about it! I'm just here to   
  
_oh no_   
  
"Thank you very much Ms. Yoshida I'm sorry for imposing!"   
  
"A-Ah-- ... ah."   
  
And Sayori is up the stairs in the time it takes to blink.   
  
"... I guess there's a reason she's friends with Aicchan…"   
  
(It doesn't cross Ms. Yoshida's mind that she didn't tell Sayori where Aiki's bedroom _was._ )

  
  
…

 

"Aiki? U-Um... Aiki? Hey, um... can I come in?"  
  
There isn't exactly silence in Aiki's room. There was definitely a flurry and a thump when Sayori knocked the first time, like blankets being pushed aside and feet hitting the floor and there was definitely, certainly, a quiet kind of mumbling that just sounded very much like Aiki and there was...   
  
There _wasn't_ a reply, which Sayori - almost uniquely - understands.   
  
She understands it better when she presses a questioning hand to the door, and almost yelps.   
  
  **> > [ **os.read_object("bedroom_door_03.aiki")  **]**   
  
**Instant headache.**   
  
  **> > [ **os.reset_object("bedroom_door_03.aiki")  **]**   
  
"Um... we don't have to talk, if you don't wanna," Sayori says, hand no longer feeling vaguely nonexistent. "I just... um, I wanted to-- I wanted to come check on you! I... Aiki, I'm really worried. E-Everyone is."   
  
Silence.   
  
"... please?"   
  
The doorknob twists, and about half of Aiki's face peeks int   
  
o̵̷.̵̨ ͟͏ ̢͞ ͏̷̵o ̴͘͡o̸͘͢.͢҉ ̡̢͢o͠.̸̢ ̸͡ ̴̧̧ ̢ ̷̧̕ ̸͜ ̨͟͠ ̷̢͜o̵.͜͞ ̕͡͠ ̸̨͠ ̵̷͞ ̛͢ ̛҉҉҉ ̧͘͢ ̷̡̡o̷͘͢ ̶͘͠o͟͜͠ơ̧͢.̢͡͡ ̸̴͟ ̶͞͠ ͢o̷   
  
view. Sayori beams, partially in relief and partially to reassure Aiki and partially to reassure herself and partially to because that was sort of just the way Sayori was, and her heart lifts in her chest when Aiki smiles the tiniest bit back.

"H-Hi, Aiki!" bubbles Clu̶͢͢ ̵͡͝b̨̕͡ ҉͢ ̷̵͏ ̷͟P̶̛͠r̷r̶/̡͞e҉-̡̕͟#̶̴͢s̷͞͠%̨͜͝^̨͘͘d̛n̨͏̢/̨̧͢/҉̶͏i̵!͞e̢͜@̷̛)̶̡͏n̵͞͡ņ̛͠T͜͡ bubbles Sayori, to which Aiki says  
  
_i cant_   
  
"... h-hi, Sayori,"   
  
Very quietly, and mostly to the ground.   
  
"Um, um. Can I, is it okay if I come in? I brought you, I, mean, it's, it's okay if your room's a little messy, mine always is I, um, I mean, I'd   
  
Okay, deep breath.   
  
"C-Could I come in?"   
  
Better. Much better. Aiki glances to the side, then to the other side.   
  
"... y-yeah, Sayo--ri, if, um, if you wanna,"   
  
She nods, stepping quietly away from the door as Sayori ventures in, mumbles a second "sorry for intruding" and closing the door behind her. Aiki is perched on the edge of a messy bed, hair mostly hiding her face as she stares at the ground, twisting her feet together.   
  
Sayori doesn't know what to say, for a minute.

"... s-sorry for not, c-coming to club, f-for... um..."  
  
The teal-haired girl trails off weakly.   
  
_twenty-seven days_   
  
It's a familiar whisper, the one that isn't there, and Sayori fights to keep composure on her face because when she breathes slowly, and keeps her eyes sharp, she can see where the shadows of Aiki's bedroom aren't shadows at all.   
  
"A, a month," Aiki hiccups. "... p-please don't, k-kick me o-ut..."   
  
"I, I wouldn't do that!" Sayori exclaims, sudden and flinches in turn when she sees Aiki wince. "I-- I wouldn't, Aicchan, I swear. I-It's okay, really, I... I understand, it's. H-Hard, sometimes, right? To..."   
  
Get out of bed.   
  
She isn't sure if it's the same problem, exactly - she was assuming, and she knew it, because she wanted to reassure Aiki and she wanted to be able to _say_ something and she didn't want to be the kind of useless P̨͝͞r̴͟͠r̵͡$r̵̴͠ &̡;̡͘R҉̶̵͝R̷̴͜E͝͏ person who wouldn't even notice something was horribly catastrophically _wrong_ with her friend until twenty five days she's been absent and her mother walks into school looking _lost_ and asks them, in bare composure, if _anything_ happened to Aiki on the last day she came to club.   
  
~~**what had** **distracted** **her?** ~~

****"I-- I brought these flowers for you! I thought, I thought you could use some sunshine, Aiki! I'm, I'm sorry for not coming over earlier, Aiki, I really really am, I've-- been a bad friend, and I promise promise promise I'd never kick you out of Literature Club for-- _anything,_ okay, because I lo   
  
"For _anything,_ okay, because I really care about you!"   
  
"S-Say-- yo-?"   
  
~~Sayori's hug is big enough for three people and her arm tingles and burns and twitches and she squeezes tighter and warmer and~~   
  
"Okay?" Sayori says, smiling with   
  
** >> [ **os.edit_value(("subfolder:reflexes"("crying")) ["current_value"set:0]  **]**   
  **> > [ **{413 error - "current_value" defaulted to "1"}  **]**   
  
only the vaguest hint of tears in the corners of her eyes.   
  
"... o-ka-ay," Aiki nods, wiping away a lot more water with far messier, pajama sleeves. Which made sense. It made sense. Maybe Sayori did know what was going on.   
  
~~She knows she doesn't and pain gnaws under her ribcage like seeing memories of death that hasn't happened.~~   
  
"Okay!" She says, because if nothing else on the planet at least she can smile. She's going to smile. She's going to smile until Aiki smiles and doesn't ever stop again. "Can I put these on your desk? I think, um, I think it would make it look really happy!"   
  
"S-Sure, Sayori," Aiki nods, and Sayori feels an inkling of happiness as Aiki barely, _barely,_ smiles.   
  
"Yes!" She cheers, skips over to the desk that's, admittedly mostly bare except for a   
  
p o   
  
e   
  
m̢͟m͜͠M̢͡҉̛m҉͝͠m̸̡̢M̴͜͠M̨M̨̡̕$̷̛͡M͏̢͜(̧@͜͝͡{̢͏͘{̸͟M̨͘͞M̸̷̛^̵҉M̢/̨͝/͟͝͝҉:̧͢͡m͢M̵̢͏]̵͜͞m̧͘͝o̧͞:͏̕͠n̨i̸̶͟k͏̨̧a̸̡̕A̧͜͞€̴͘w̵h̷̶͡a̸͡͞%͘t͟͝͠h̸̡a̴p̵̕p̷̡͡҉e̵̕҉̴͞/̷̶͝/̷͟n͡$̸̸͞e̷̷͘d͘͘͢t̶̢̧#̡҉̸o̶͏ḩ͡e̷̵̢'̸̷҉҉r̕͏[̶̢͢m͘M̸͘͜M̶͝M̷̕M̷̕͏$̴̵͟ &͘͡+͢͝=̛͘+̷̛͜+̵̡   


Sayori shakes her head, crackling near-painfully, and looks away from the empty spot where she hadn't been looking at anything at all.  
  
"See? I think it looks more cheerful already!" She enthuses, spinning around to the girls behind her. "Now! ... hmm..."   
  
"... 'yori... ?"   
  
"Hey, Aiki - it's a really nice day outside, you know? Is it okay if I open your curtains-- just a little?"   
  
"... nn..."   
  
"Just a little? Sunshine is really good for you, Aicchan! You ~~can't think or move or feel like living~~ can get sick if you don't ever--"   
  
"... a-are you gonna. S-Stay... here?"   
  
"Eh?"   
  
Sayori looks towards Aiki, head tilted.   
  
"... well, yeah! I mean, um, if you want me to! I was, thinking we could have a-- a girl's day in!"   
  
"... okay," Aiki concedes, sliding off her bed (blanket in tow) and... angling herself away from the window. "... y-you can open it..."   
  
~~why is she scared of~~   
  
"Okay!" Sayori chirps, before, true to her word, opening the curtains just enough to light up the room a little. Maybe once Aiki saw some sunshine, she'd ~~stop feeling so b a d~~ smile a little more! Well, that was the hope. Sayori smiles and gives a satisfied nod before plopping down criss-cross beside Aiki.   
  
between her and the window and aiki relaxes but only a  l i t t l e.

"... so, Aiki..."  
  
** >> [  **os.read_character("Ai **]**   
  
  **> > [ **¡̸̧͟E̶̴R̵̛͝R҉O̧͞Ŗ̧͡?̸ - denied denied denied deniEd d3nIEd dEN41€;;DDD  **]**   
  
"What do you wanna do? I'm up for anything! Maybe a video g   
  
Flinches go back go back go back.    
  
"What do you wanna do? I'm up for anything! Maybe a board game?"   
  
"... um, that sounds... that sounds fun!"   
  
Aiki's smile looks almost genuine.   
  
Sayori's heart hurts.   
  
"Yay! Okay, okay, I'm gonna go get one!"   
  
Aiki doesn't ask how Sayori knows where the games are in the closed closet, and Sayori knows the ~~please come back~~ reason why.

  
  
...

  
  
Sayori actually picks out four games.   
  
One of them is Mon ~~i~~ opoly.   
  
Sayori isn't the smoothest when it comes to inviting herself over, but the way Aiki giggles when she pulls the top off the box and announces that she's going to be the wheelbarrow because it's the fastest makes her think maybe it was the perfect idea anyway, that maybe this is perfect, that maybe she's   
  
Halfway through dealing 3 starting sets of money before she realizes what she's doing.   
  
Aiki doesn't seem to care. ~~  
~~   
"So, whatcha been doing?"   
  
That is a _very_ stupid question, but thankfully Aiki doesn't believe in stupid answers.   
  
"Um... sleeping."   
  
~~Sayori understands.  
~~   
"... and... playing board games..."   
  
~~Sayori shouldn't, but does, understand.~~   
  
"... and ppp$;l̵̶͏l̕҉l̵̷̛l̶̵̕ļ̧̨L͏͜͠ &̧͠{҉̕͏̢{͏̧̛a͢͏}̧͜͏a͏̸Ą̶͘4҉+̧͝A͢+̨͘/̶͝͡ņ̕N̸͘͝N͜͠   
  
"... and... playing board games..."

 ~~Sayori's head aches and she tastes metallic and green.~~   
  
"Oh? Well, that sounds... quiet!" Sayori says, with a little nod before "Ooh, a train station--"   
  
"Ah?! Hey, I wanted that one!"   
  
"Well, maybe I'll trade it to you~!"   
  
Monopoly happens, somehow, with one third of the turns not being taken.   
  
"Oh, Monopoly! How fun," Says Ms. Yoshida, who enters with a bowl of popcorn that Aiki doesn't even seem averse to eating.   
  
** >> [** os.read_character("Yoshida_Kaede") **]**   
  
Aiki's mother turns, hides her face to hide the prickling tears that Sayori knows anyway.   
  
"I'm-- so glad to see you two are having a nice time. ... Sayori, would you like to stay for dinner?"   
  
"Can she?!"   
  
"A-Ah? If it wouldn't be a bother, I'd love to, Ms. Yoshida!"   
  
"Wonderful! I'll make sure to set an extra seat. Please, make yourself at home for as long as you'd like."   
  
"Yay!" Aiki cheers - _cheers_ \- **_cheers,_ **   
  
And Sayori knows that Ms. Yoshida hurries downstairs so nobody will hear the sob that Sayori hears, because even if it's relief, there's fragile, _fragile_ happiness that she will not endanger.   
  
Aiki doesn't notice.

  
  
...

  
  
Sayori hasn't ever _met_ Mr. Yoshida, or Aiki's younger brother and sister and brother, and she's feeling slightly overwhelmed at dinner, which is probably nothing compared to the look on Aiki's face that she is trying _so hard_ to mask with a smile that it makes Sayori's stomach twist.   
  
Familiar.   
  
Too familiar.   
  
~~can't be right.~~

"So, here's the girl that brought our little bird back down to Earth for the day!" Booms Mr. Yoshida, and Aiki's face is red behind a forkful of dinner. "Sayori, right?"  
  
"Yeah, _Sayocchan!_ Aiki talks about you all the time!" Giggles sister, not entirely altruistically. "When she comes out of her room!"   
  
"When she comes out of the clos--"   
  
"That's enough, you two," scolds Ms. Yoshida. "Don't make your own _sister_ feel unwelcome at the table!"   
  
"Sor~ry," chime two voices, distinctly unapologetically. Ms. Yoshida sighs.   
  
"Thank you for coming over, Sayori. We're all very happy to have you here, believe you me."   
  
Sayori hears everything, especially today, especially because she needs to hear _everything_ with Aiki because she needs to learn what she ~~fucked up~~ missed.   
  
("'specially Aiki, 'cos now she doesn't have to use her _imaginary_ girlfriend~.")   
  
Mumbles.   
  
_... ahahaha._ _imaginary._   
  
Whispers.   
  
Dinner is uneventful.   
  
Aiki reaches for her hand under the table, cautiously, trembling, and th̢ ̴̵̕e̡̛ ̸͘͠ ҉̶̶̷w̧̛͝O̷͜͠R$̶̨̢l͘͠͠d͜͡4̶̸̢#̢͠͠#҉͟҉͞S̴̵͟P͘͟͢ &̵͜͝L̸̡͡/̷̨/͟I̴͝͞ **T̨̨͠.̵͝҉S̷̢̧.̶͟A̸̛€̸̴͜%͘͢͠.͢͜P̢̛͡.̵̶͜A̧̧͠.̨͏̴R͜͠R̢̛R̨̢͢Ŗ̴͝R̨̛͡**   
  
GO BACK. 

 

 

Dinner is uneventful.  
  
Sayori reaches gently for Aiki's hand under the table, because she looks like she's feeling nervous and - for lack of a better word - glancing across the dining room to the living room to the door -   
  
unsafe.    
  
And Sayori wants her to... to not. To be happy again. To feel happy again.   
  
(Aiki relaxes in Sayori's hand, and she sighs a tiny bit, and Sayori stares into her dinner like it might give her a damn _answer._ )   
  
(It's delicious, but unhelpful.)

  
  
...

  
  
Sayori insists that Aiki change into new pajamas, because it's nice to feel fresher and these ones are _adorable_ and changing into new pajamas will give you good dreams, scout's honor, so Aiki is wearing very clean Pikachu pajamas and Sayori, actively blessed with a similar body, has borrowed a set with   
  
"Velociraptors! From the Jurassic movie!"   
  
On them, and Aiki smiled so _much_ that Sayori thinks she could actually get used to wearing fleece dinosaur pajamas.   
  
"What's, um. What's been, happening with Natsu-- _ki_ and Yu, ri?"   
  
Is what Aiki asked, shyly, and is what Sayori is explaining with a pillow in her lap and Aiki dangling off the bed behind her.   
  
"... and _then_ we all decided to do one of those, round-robin things? Where everyone writes a sentence all in a row? Ahaha, Nacchan and Yuri went _right_ after another since they were next to each other and it was the _funniest_ thing to read, because it was me being silly and Yuri being really deep and Nacchan being super sweet and Chōei--"   
  
~~**Flinch.** ~~   
  
"... Aiki?"

The room felt dark, something prickles along Sayori's spine and she knows that she has found something.  
  
"Aiki? Are you ok  
  
_"Sayori, you sat_ _next_ _to him?"_  
  
"Aiki? Are you okay?"  
  
There was more than one person in those words and Sayori can't help, can't physically help but say what she was going to say and by the time she's finished Aiki is trembling and facing away.  
  
"..."  
  
"A-Aiki?"  
  
"..."  
  
Sayori will deal with her heart squeezing out ~~'fuckup, fuckup, fuckup,'~~ later.   
  
"... Aiki," she says, very quietly - and very carefully - and not taking her eyes for a second off of the shadow over Aiki, staring _into_ her and tensing like it would ~~do it again~~ _eat_ her if she stepped one inch too far off this line -   
  
"Did... did you and Chōei have a fight?"

"N-N-No," Aiki whimpers, and Sayori takes a step back because she swears  
  
_dont you dare_   
  
she can hear   
  
_dont you_ _dare_   
  
~~**"I have to help!** **I have to try! "** ~~   
  
Nobody's voice.   
  
"Okay, Aiki," she whispers, because Aiki has been mumbling _no no no no_ for too _long._ "Okay. I believe you, I'm-- sorry."   
  
"S-Sayori, you c-c- _can't,_ y-you c- _an't,_ yo-o-u _ca-a-an't,"_   
  
~~**i'm sorry i'm so sorry i'm so so sorry monnie and aicchan forgive me forgive me forgive me** ~~   
  
"Why won't you come to school anymore, Aiki?" Sayori asks, biting back tears and sounding horribly desperate and Aiki, shuddering, _sobs._

  
... 

  
She cries for _two hours,_ into Sayori's shoulder, and doesn't tell her a thing.   
  
Sayori thinks she deserves that.   
  
Sayori thinks she deserves worse, feeling _how could you_ in the back of her neck and she's sorry **but i have to** **try** **i mess** **ed up and i  have to fix it don't you understand** and she feels   
  
_and  i ' m  taking care of_ ~~_her_ ~~ _it now._   
  
seize her heart for a split second of agony.   
  
"I'm sorry," she mumbles into the top of Aiki's head, and Aiki gasps chokingly and nods and whimpers, grips Sayori tighter.   
  
"D-Do-n't l-le-e-a-ve,"   
  
Sayori doesn't.   
  
Sayori stays.

 

...

  
  
(Aiki is asleep, dragged into the depths by cry-exhaustion first, then warmth, then a steady heart and the faint smell of Sayori's fruity bubble bath.)  
  
Sayori is not.  
  
{To Yuri}  
{10:28 PM}  
**[UNSENT]** Sayori: im sorry yuri i don't want to ask this i just know you know a lot about   
**[UNSENT]** Sayori: im so so sorry i know you read a lot of books about crim about bad about   
**[UNSENT]** Sayori: yuri do you think choei might hav  
Sayori: goodnight yuri!!!  
Yuri: goodnight, sayori! っ╹v╹ )っ  
Yuri: late night tonight?  
**[UNSENT]** Sayori: i'm at a sleepover  
Sayori: ehehe yeah, i've been writing a little ️  
Yuri: oh, good!   
Sayori: yeah!!! i'll text you in the morniiing   
Yuri: okay~ text you in the morning ♡〜٩( ╹▿╹ )۶〜♡  
**[UNSENT]** Sayori: i lov

  
... 

  
{To Natsuki}  
{10:36 PM}  
**[UNSENT]** Sayori: i know you're sleeping nacchan but i just want you to know i love you and  
Sayori: i know you're sleeping nacchan but i hope you have a good morning! i can't wait to see you at club on monday!!!

  
... 

  
{To Aiki}  
{10:41 PM}  
Sayori: I love you  
Sayori: I love you  
Sayori: I love you  
Sayori: I love you  
Sayori: I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you  
Sayori: I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU  
Sayori: THE PLURAL YOU  
**[UNSENT]** Sayori: im so sorry im sorry im sorry im sorry im sorry  
Sayori: when you find your phone again pretend im giving you a really big hug if im not already okay  
**[UNSENT]** Sayori: please come back to club when you can i  
Sayori: please come back to club when you can we really really miss you aicchan

 

...

  
  
{To Monika}   
{11:01 PM}   
Sayori: i miss you so much   
**[This number is not in use.]**   
Sayori: im not lying i do i miss you i miss you   
**[This number is not in use.]**   
Sayori: please please please come back please   
**[This number is not in use.]**   
Sayori: please   
**[This number is not in use.]**   
Sayori: please i miss you so much   
**[This number is not in use.]**   
Sayori: i love you so much   
**[This number is not in use.]**   
Sayori: please monika please   
**[This number is not in use.]**   
Sayori: i love you i love you i love you i love you i love you   
**[This number is not in use.]**   
Sayori: please i miss you   
**[This number is not in use.]**   
Sayori: please come back   
**[This number is not in use.]**

  
... 

  
{To Choei}  
{12:20 AM}  
**[UNSENT]** Sayori: what did you   
**[UNSENT]** Sayori: why is aiki scared of y  
**[UNSENT]** Sayori: choei we're best friends please tell me you   
**[UNSENT]** Sayori: WHAT DID YOU D

  
... 

  
Sayori sleeps in the next morning.   
  
(But it's okay, because Aiki does too.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> do you want to read this final chapter with cute emoji contact names, colored text, and cooler visual effects in general? here's the google doc mirror! 
> 
> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jaPhiVPucJNQLCCcpp1TVAzLNZ0ijde-OFaYqweFSTA/edit?usp=sharing
> 
> anyway thanks for reading! every kudo is +1 fruit snack from kaede, bless

**Author's Note:**

> ngl if ur a jackass in the comments i'll shitpost at u and artificially increase my comment count, honestly normally i wouldn't even say that here but this story/premise is NOT MC/player-friendly and that seems to piss some people off so???
> 
> have a radical and/or tubular day my cool cats


End file.
